Vietnam Veterans Stage in Rio, Aim for Better VA Health Care

RIO GRANDE – Many Vietnam War veterans believe that the hidden costs of war that few people think about need to be paid, just like any other debt. 
For that reason, on March 28, several Vietnam War veterans staged an event at the intersection of Routes 9 and 47 on a former gas station site. Their actions were designed to remind all, and in particular the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), that those costs are being paid by the veterans and their families who continue to suffer from the effects of Agent Orange. 
Veteran Harry Weimar, who has early onset Parkinson’s disease, is convinced that Agent Orange, the defoliant used on jungle vegetation in Southeast Asia during the war, has created casualties among the warriors in that region.
He believes there are genetic issues that have resulted in the children of veterans who have higher levels of cancers and other related diseases because of the use of that chemical and others during the war. 
“It’s not about me, I already have Parkinson’s, just don’t give it to my kids and grandkids,” he pleaded.
Weimar told about a friend who served in the military but never went to Vietnam. He explained that he worked in the warehouses where Agent Orange was stored before shipment to Southeast Asia. That soldier contracted and died from cancer.
Although Weimar has no medical evidence, he is convinced that people who were not sprayed with the agent but who came into some indirect contact with it still suffer from its effects.
Veteran William “Bill” Davenport is the president of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 955 in Wildwood.
He described a VA medical care system that is dysfunctional. He related that veterans are assigned to hospitals by the VA, and they have no voice in any element of their care.
Appointments, when sought, are months away, he said. The veteran has no say in the date or time. If the veteran misses the appointment for any reason, they go to the back of the line.
He related that he was told that he should be screened for Hepatitis C  some weeks ago, but he has to wait until December of this year to get it done.
In the meantime, he remains in limbo, wondering what his future might be.
Vince DePrinzio expressed his frustration, “Vets cross a body of water to fight for this country; they should not have to cross another body of water to get health care,” referring to the long distances veterans must travel in the VA system in Wilmington, Del. or Philadelphia.
Veteran Joe Griffies hosts a weekly radio show each Saturday on WIBG entitled the “Welcome Home Show.” Griffies advocates for veterans’ issues including his belief that many veterans and their families still do not receive proper treatment for Agent Orange-related diseases.
He shared his informal mantra “The first Vietnam vets came home 51 years ago, the first Korean War vets came home 65 years ago, and our WWII vets came home 73 years ago. How much more time do they need to fix the VA health care system?”
All the veterans at the intersection shared a single guiding ideal, that they will continue to raise awareness about the ongoing plight of veterans and their families who are paying the hidden costs of a war that for many still rages.
To contact Jim McCarty, email jmccarty@cmcherald.com.